‘UNCERTAIN FUTURE’

Stonewall Inn Launches Crowdfounding Campaign as It Struggles to Survive

The historic site of the Stonewall Riots was forced to close for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Stonewall Inn, the iconic site of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in support of LGBTQ rights, is seeking donations to avoid a permanent closure. After months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the establishment is struggling financially and organizers have launched two GoFundMe campaigns to support the business. One campaign is earmarked for paying rent and the other provides funds for staff members who are out of work. “Even in the best of times it can be difficult to survive as a small business and we now face an uncertain future...We resurrected the Stonewall Inn once after it had been shuttered—and we stand ready to do it again—with your help,” the GoFundMe message reads. The tavern is an iconic site in the contemporary struggle for LGBTQ rights. Stonewall was memorialized in 2016 by President Barack Obama as the nation’s first LGBTQ rights monument.